DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) The newly-organized Baylor College of Medicine Cancer Center (BCMCC) seeks a P20 Planning Grant with the aim of submitting a P30 application for an NCI Cancer Center Support Grant and being designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center in the next 24-36 months. Our overall Goal is to unify and organize strong, independent scientific programs into a well-functioning Cancer Center. The BCMCC serves Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and four large teaching hospitals (Ben Taub General Hospital, The Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, and the Houston Veterans Administration Hospital) which in 2001 saw 5,000 new cancer cases. BCM has >$50 million in cancer research support with ~$34 million from NCI. Basic, translational, and clinical research are conducted in eight Programs: Breast Cancer (led by C. Kent Osborne, M.D.); Cancer Biology (led by Dennis R. Roop, Ph.D.); Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences (led by Powel H. Brown, M.D., Ph.D.); Cell and Gene Therapy (led by Malcolm K. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D.); Cell Cycle Control, Tumor Suppressors, Viruses, and Oncogenes (led by J. Wade Harper, Ph.D.); Nuclear Receptor Biology (led by Orla M. Conneely, Ph.D.); Prostate Cancer (led by Timothy C. Thompson, Ph.D.); and Pediatric Cancer (led by David G. Poplack, M.D.). Fourteen Shared Resources/Cores support this effort. Michael W. Lieberman, M.D., Ph.D., serves as Center Director and reports directly to the President of BCM. Associate Directors include: Bert W. O'Malley, M.D. (Basic Science); Dr. Osborne (Clinical Science); Dr. Brown (Cancer Prevention, Outreach, and Health Services); and Ms. Barbara G. Cochran (Administration). Governance rests in the hands of an Executive Committee chaired by Dr. Lieberman and composed of the four Associate Directors and seven other BCMCC members. Harold L. Moses, M.D., chairs the External Advisory Committee, and Susan M. Berget, Ph.D., chairs the Internal Advisory Committee. To prepare for a P30 application, we have developed a detailed Strategic Plan with timelines. Our P20 Specific Goals are: 1. To Strengthen Administrative Leadership, Internal Governance, and Institutional Support for the BCMCC; 2. To Increase Interactions among BCMCC Members and Promote Translational Research; 3. To Develop Increased Support for Programs in the Shared Resources/Cores; and 4. To Recruit Additional Faculty to Strengthen Existing Programs and Support Additional Program Development.